The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-02
vERnoSTs vroL1N-MAKEK.
The Oldest in the Country-Some of the
Nlceties of the Art

NIceties of the Art.
Springfield Republican.
In a quaint. whl.e painted cottage Canal
street. Brattlaboro, VT. in front OF which stand
three four shapely NAPLES. lives William A.
Conant. in his eighty third year. He is an un-
pretentious but interestingly jolly old gentle
man, who mas more than local celebrity as
practical violin manufacturer, and is believed
to be the oldest living represen tative OF his
trade in the United States who is still engaged
in the manufacture of these instruments Al
though a respected resident of the town since
1929, when he moved from Lowell. Mass, his
life-work has been SO quiet and unostentatious
hardly attract the attention OF
even his townspeope, comparatively
few of whom understand the degree
of proficiency to which he has attained In the
manufacture OF violins and viooncellos- brief
account of his successful career will be Of local
interest single his tidy home fur
nlshes him a workshop. In 1S4l Mr.. Conant be-
gan the manufacture of 'cellos for John Wood
bury, whose music store was IN Steens book
store, on the present site of the BROOKS House
Eighty-four of these instruments were made
and sold to the trade in Boston and New ork,
which secured to the maker quite a reputation
for excellence of workmanship. Alter q time he
began to make vlolins. and, his books show,
326 of these instruments were sold to Woodbury.
and Burdett Not till 1876 did he begin num-
berine his violins. SO that he is not able to tell
exactly how many of them have been put on the
market; still IL his belief that he has made as
many as 700 victims all told many of which
undou btedly in to-day. Letters from lead
ing musicians in different parts of the country
attest the value of these instruments, and the
old manufacturer takes commendable pride IN
referring to the complimentary terms IN
which the celebrated Dodworth spoke of
these violins. prououneing them superior In tone
to those of French or English make Another
case is that of a celebrated violinist Who was
asked by leading city music dealer to select the
best-toned instrument from four, two cele-
brated English and two of Commits make.
Placed ID a dark room, the musician was not
permitted to examine the finish Of the lnstru-
until he had given his decision, which
was decidedly IN favor of the Conant make,
and, afterward, when brought to the light, the
critic unhesitatingly declared the American vio-
lin to be in every way superior to the English.
Mr. Conant tunes his violins though he
cannot play a tune; yet he is often importuned
by local musicians and others to string and tune
their violins The wood for the man lfacture of
these instruments from off the Green
mountains It is selected stock, very few trees
being fit for The top or belly of the violin
is of old growth spruce, it being selected for its
softness and fine grain. Only one side of the
tree is fit for the manufacture of violns. After
a suitable tree has been found only the north
side is selected the south side grows faster
and the sun draws the gum to that side, so that
the wood is 1t is not especially the grain
of the wood, says Mr. Conant, that makes violin
good. Some made of coarse grain and others
fine, ''but it is what [ call the temper of the
wood that gives the best tone to the instrument
Idon't suppose could find one log In all OF the
millions floating down the Connecticut fit for
violins they are all second growth, cut near
the river, where the first growth has long since
I'm Europe the German pine. deal. is used
altogether for violins, but I can't it." The
SIDES, back anu neck OF the violin are maze OF
curly MAPLE which Mr.. Conant calls bastard
wood, neither white rock maple. White
maple he thinks too light and he always prefers
an old tree He never works his wood until 1t is
at least seven years old, and even now hs has
some on hand twelve years old. A friend in Nor
wch. Conn, brought him some wood from the pull
pit floor of an old church, which was taken down
with the expectation that the age OF this stock
would impart tone to the instruments From
this two violins were made. but they proved no |
better than those made from wood obtained on
the mountains PERHAPS SAID the manufacG- |
humorousiy, had he made his selection |
from the singers seat the result would have been
different" It is conceded that it is the vibra-
tions of the wood that Impart the tone to vio |
lin. and good violin invariably improves with |
1t makes a vast difference who handles |
violin, as dlscords harm good instrument rms |
is the reason, declares Mr. Conant. why good |
vionsts loath to loan their instruments. |
violin If laid aside goes to sleep. and 1t often re-
euires master like Ole Bull to wake it up and |
''Dring it to- /" It takes something like six weeks
for Mr.. Conant to make thorough violin, and |
the work requires patience and lots of expert /
ence. After they have been put together they |
vanished, rubbed down and strung The /
bow he does not make. that part of the instru-
made IN France. Mr. Cbnant has not kept con- /
tinually busy for the past forty years making |
yolins, for he spent some twenty years in max /
ing ivory rules for the Stearns company before |
its removal to New Britain Conn. but all this time
he had room and occasionally made violin |
for customer, and always had one two on |
hand. "A violin Is great study" says the ven
cradle maker; most of them got I'D cheap, |
but the owners of my instruments say that they I
more alike in tone than those of any other |
manufacture" Some of these vIolins have been |
in use by local players for more than thirty /
years and grow richer in tone as they grow /
older. and consequently highly valued The /
average price OF these violins is $35, though much
higher prices have been asked for special instru-
tents. Formerly Mr.. Conant and man named
White. of Boston were the sole manufacturers
known IN New England, but to-day there
several. Notwithstanding his age. Mr. Conant
manifests appreciation for a good violin and is
ever ready to acknowledge the merits of other
manufacturers. He Is conversant with the his
tory of all the noted violin akers, as well as
with that of eminent players. and he often
fers with pleasure to the fact that the great
Italian. Stradivarius. made vlolins until he
ninety-tvvo years old, and that recently some of
the latter's make have been sold at auction for
81, 900 each.